Man Utd miss out on West Brom's chief talent spotter lined up to help revamp academy
United have suffered a set-back in the revamp of their academy set-up after West Bromwich Albion’s chief talent spotter rejected the chance to join the club.
Steve Hopcroft, Albion’s highly-regarded head of academy recruitment, will sign a new deal with the Midlands club after deciding to turn down a similar role at Old Trafford because of the financial package on offer.
Hopcroft is thought to have been offered less money than he stood to earn by staying at the Hawthorns and rebuffed United on Monday, the same day that the Manchester club announced record revenues of £515.3 million, the highest in British football history.
United are overhauling their scouting network and Hopcroft had been headhunted as part of a large-scale shake-up of the department under Academy chief Nicky Butt, the former United midfielder.
United’s former head of recruitment, Derek Langley, left the club in July after 16 years and Butt has been eager to find a talent spotter who can help them unearth the next Marcus Rashford.
But in a blow to United’s plans, Hopcroft, 49, who has brought through the likes of Saido Berahino, Isaiah Brown, Jerome Sinclair, Jonathan Leko and Sam Field during his nine years at West Brom, believes his interests will be best served by remaining in the Midlands.
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The news is a significant boost for Tony Pulis at a time when the West Brom manager’s future is under the spotlight. West Brom are on the verge of sealing a £170 million deal with new Chinese owners, Guochuan Lai, and Pulis is under pressure after one win in 14 games and his criticism of the club’s summer transfer dealings.
Pulis has made no secret of his desire to keep Hopcroft, who has also worked for Birmingham City. “I have had a chat with Steve yesterday, and the other night when I was driving up from shopping in London!” Pulis said.
“He has been made an offer by Manchester United but the club are trying to do the best they possibly can to keep him here.
“It would be a massive miss if he goes because he has brought some unbelievable talent into this club.
“They tell me our under-15s and 16s are the best group of players this club has had. He’s an old-fashioned scout. He gets out there and picks them. He’s got a great eye for selecting players. He is very important to the club.”
Berahino has been rated at over £20million and was named in the senior England squad nearly two years ago, while Brown and Sinclair both departed for Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.
Leko was a target for Chelsea and Manchester City before signing his first professional contract earlier this summer and Field produced an impressive full Premier League debut in the 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough last month.
Ed Woodward, the United executive vice-chairman, had ordered a root-and-branch review of the club's Academy amid accusations that the talent pool generated within the club's youth set-up has slowed down.